I'm Sick of 'Hallelujah'

uke4ia

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"Hallelujah" gets massively overplayed at open mikes, and as good a song as it is, I've gotten really tired of it. And worse, it's a long song that often lasts 7 or 8 minutes. So when you don't want to hear the song and someone starts playing it, you know you're in for a long haul. During a particularly tedious rendition in 2010, I wrote this alternate set of lyrics.
 
If it is possible I will leave the area when that song is played.
 
The original is not a fav of mine. Good parody!
 
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I love the song, and I don't have this burn out, but I can see how it could happen if you did lots
of open mic time and it kept coming up. I haven't hit an open mic yet with my uke.
My open mic time has been for blues and rock jams on bass or drums, where I never heard the tune.

If I start hitting some acoustic open mics, is this song the uke version Sweet Home Alabama or Free Bird? :)
 
It's more the uke version of Hallelujah. The guys I hear playing it at open mikes are acoustic guitar players. But a year ago, there was a UU thread for people to list the songs in their uke repertoire, and Hallelujah was named far more than any other song. So it's probably the same thing at uke-only open mikes.

A whole book about the song came out last fall. This was in the Entertainment Weekly review of the book: It has become such a staple at open-mic nights that L.A.'s famous singer-songwriter hangout the Hotel Café has a sign posted on its soundboard that reads ''Please do not play 'Hallelujah.'''

Jinxi - Thanks, my daughter thought the "Boo-ya" was a weak rhyme. But I wanted to have a Ron Stoppable moment.

Ron+Stoppable+And+Rufus+ronstoppable1.jpg
 
This sounds like the "No Stairway" sign in the Waynes World movie. :)

I feel this way when someone whips out Sweet Home Alabama at a jam, and people actually shout like they are excited.
That one has been beaten far too deep into the ground for me. Can't hear it or play it any more.
Maybe I should write some new words for it. :)
 
I love a good parody. :D

Seriously, I like the song, and most of the people I play with really like playing it. Learning it took a big effort for me (I'm lyrically challenged), so I don't mind playing it and keeping it in my repertoire. But knowing how overplayed it is, I'd avoid doing it in public.
 
Hahahahahahahaha lelluhah. This is a fantastic parody. Can't stop laughing. Thanks for sharing. This really did put a smile on my face.

"Hallelujah" gets massively overplayed at open mikes, and as good a song as it is, I've gotten really tired of it. And worse, it's a long song that often lasts 7 or 8 minutes. So when you don't want to hear the song and someone starts playing it, you know you're in for a long haul. During a particularly tedious rendition in 2010, I wrote this alternate set of lyrics.
 
I love Leonard Cohen, but I have to admit that song has seen A LOT of airplay. Plus, he's a hard act to follow.
 
This is one of those songs you just kind of wish would fade into obscurity (not your parody, the original).

I have buddies who have fronted bar bands for years and they feel that way about Free Bird and a couple of others. I remember years ago seeing a sign in a guitar shop that read something like, "If you play 'Smoke on the Water' we will escort you from the premises."

Myself, not having ever been in a cover band, I kind of like Free Bird, still. In fact one day I had worked out this chord progression on uke and I called up a buddy of mine and said, "Hey, Brian, this sounds real familiar but I can't figure out what it is." I played it for him. He was like, "dude, that's the chord progression behind the Free Bird solo, how can you not know that?" ;)

John
 
Weird Al Yancovich would be proud of you. I know I am.

Don
 
I have an original song called "Big Sky". Back when I dreamed of someday becoming a rock star, I imagined that this song would be a hit and Weird Al would do a version of it called "Pig Sty".
 
Now then DARE I say -after only a few hearings of the original - never been a Cohen fan, to hear that much - I hate it. I know a lot of people love it, and there was a thread on here where some people got awfully steamed up about it, one way and another - but I hate it. I find the lyrics very pretentious. Especially the lines about tying him to a kitchen chair etc...... so now if it comes on the radio or TV, I switch over, it irritates me so much. As a general statement I admire Cohen's way with rhyming, he was a very poetic way with words but this song just does not cut it with me. I'm writing this before listening to your parody - but I will listen, and may well love it! :D Escapes rapidly......
 
I first became acquainted with the song because they used the Jeff Buckley version in "Shrek".
 
"Hallelujah" gets massively overplayed at open mikes, and as good a song as it is, I've gotten really tired of it. And worse, it's a long song that often lasts 7 or 8 minutes. So when you don't want to hear the song and someone starts playing it, you know you're in for a long haul. During a particularly tedious rendition in 2010, I wrote this alternate set of lyrics.
Just listened - yes, love it! Brilliant! :D
 
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